Merle Axelrad's Butterfly Art Sculpture

Merle Axelrad gets ready to disassemble fiberglass monarch butterflies from her art studio in Sacramento. The installation is too big too fit in her studio, so it will be assembled for the first time on site in a new mental health clinic in Arcadia.

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Many Sacramento artists land public art commissions outside the region. This week, Merle Axelrad is installing her public art sculpture “Butterfly Effect” in a mental health clinic in Los Angeles County. She describes the project to us – which uses the endangered monarch butterfly as its centerpiece – and the experience of involving many people in her process.